good things God never bestowes upon the wicked never with-holds from the godly and are all cast up in one summe where it is said Beati mundo corde quoniam ipsi videbunt Deum Blessed are the pure of Heart and such are onely they that walke uprightly for they shall see God But is walking uprightly such a matter with God that it should be so rewarded Is it not more pleasing to God to see us goe stooping then walking upright seeing stooping is the gate of Humilitie then which there is nothing to God more pleasing It is no doubt a hard matter to stoope and goe upright both at once yet both must be done and both indeed are done are done at once by every one that is godly but when I say they are done both at once I meane not of the body I know two such postures in the Body both at once are impossible but the Soule can doe it the Soule can stoope and goe upright both at once for then doth the Soule walke upright before God when it stoopes in humilitie before God and men And what remaines now for David to doe but to bring in the conclusion upon the Premisses seeing the Lord of Hosts though his Name be dreadfull yet his Nature is lovely seeing he is a Sunne to cherish and a Shield to Defend seeing he gives Grace and Glory and with-holds no good thing from them that walke uprightly Therefore blessed are all they that put their trust in him And what remaines now for us to doe but to receive this Conclusion of David as an absolute Demonstration and thereupon to walke uprightly and to put our whole trust and confidence in God through the merits of his Son Christ Jesus for then we are sure wee are in a sure way of attaining to Blessednesse to Eternall blessednesse that after this we may leave our wondring yet continue our Admiring How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord God of Hosts THE HVNDRED AND THIRD PSALME OF DAVID 1BLesse the Lord O my soule and all that is within me blesse his holy Name 2 Blesse the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefits 3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy infirmities 4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction who crowneth thee with loving kindnesse and tender mercies 5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things and renueth thy youth like the Eagles 6 The Lord executeth Righteousnesse and Iudgement for all that are oppressed 7 Hee made knowne his wayes unto Moses his Acts to the children of Israel 8 The Lord is mercifull and gracious slow to anger and ful of compassion 9 Hee wil not alwayes chide neither wil hee keepe his anger for ever 10 Hee hath not dealt with us after our sinnes nor rewarded us according to our iniquities 11 For as high as the heaven is above the earth so great is his mercy toward them that feare him 12 As farre as the East is from the West so farre hath hee removed our transgressions from us 13 Like as a father pittieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that feare him 14 For he considereth whereof we are framed he remembers that we are but dust 15 As for man his dayes are as grasse as a flowre of the field so he flourisheth 16 For the wind passeth over it and it is gone and the place thereof shall know it no more 17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting toward them that feare him and his righteousnesse unto childrens children 18 To such as keepe his Covenant and remember his Commandements to doe them 19 The Lord hath prepared his Throne in heaven and his kingdome ruleth over all 20 Blesse the Lord ye his Angels that excell in strength that doe his Commandements hearkening unto the voyce of his Word 21 Blesse the Lord all yee his Hosts Ye Ministers of his that doe his pleasure 22 Blesse the Lord all his workes in all places of his Dominion Blesse the Lord O my soule MEDITATIONS VPON THE CIII PSALME OF DAVID BLesse the Lord O my Verse 1 Soule O how well they are fitted for what worke so fit for my Soule as this Who so fit for this worke as my soule My body God knowes is grosse and heavie and very unfit for so sublime a worke No my soule it is Thou must doe it and indeed what hast thou else to doe it is the very worke for which thou wert made and O that thou wert as fit to doe the worke as the worke is fit for thee to to doe But alas I feare that by comming into this Body of earth thou art become in a manner earthy at least hast lost a great part of thy abilities and wilt never be able to goe thorow with this great worke thy selfe alone If to Blesse the Lord were no more but to say Lord Lord like to them that cryed The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord then my tongue alone would bee sufficient for it and I should not need to trouble any other about it but to Blesse the Lord is an eminent worke and requires not onely Many but very able Agents to performe it and therefore my Soule when thou goest about it goe not alone but Take with thee all that is within mee all the forces in my whole Magazine whether it be my Heart or my Spirits whether my Will or my Affections whether my Understanding or my Memory take them all with thee and Blesse the Lord. And of them all make use first of my Memorie Verse 2 Forget not all his Benefits for to remember his Benefits is indeed a principall part of Blessing him And the sooner thou goest about it the better thou art likely to performe it for forgetfulnesse is a thing that growes soone upon us and nothing sooner then forgetting of benefits our Memories are very apt to retaine Injuries but very unapt for retaining of Benefits For as long as we remember a Benefit we seeme to stand upon the rack of an Obligation to requite it and who is not willing to come off a Rack by any meanes he can and then rather by forgetting a Benefit then by requiting it and perhaps wee thinke it a kind of payment if we can but forget wee owe it But O my Soule consider that God expects no Retaliation of us he lookes for no requiting at our hands Alas He knowes we are not able He takes it in good part if but onely we remember his Benefits and should we not bee most ungratefull they being so great and so many as they are if we should not afford him so much as the remembring them But as to forget all his benefits were a wonderfull forgetfulnesse so to forget none at all were as wonderfull a Memorie for what memorie can be so vast not to forget some when they be so many Indeed so many that they cannot be numbred And what then O my Soule wilt thou doe in this case if thou canst not choose
Praises But why is David so suddenly turned from singing to crying that hee should fall so presently to say Heare mee O Lord when I cry with my voyce Is it that hee findes God not well pleased with his singing and therefore meanes to try what hee can doe with crying Or is it that he thinkes himselfe better at expressing sorrow then joy and therefore hopes his crying may be heard though his singing bee not Or is it indeed that singing and crying both are little enough to make a sacrifice to God Alas they are both of them too little to make an acceptable sacrifice without Gods mercy and therefore David trusts not to them alone but is glad to joyne Gods mercy with them Have mercy also upon mee O God and answer mee It is a great mercy in God to heare us but a greater mercy to answer us and therefore to require his answer requires a more speciall invocation of his mercy and the rather in hope to have a mercifull answer for alas if he should answer and not in mercy such an answer would be worse then silence But how can I doubt of Gods answering me when I speake to him who have my selfe answered him when hee spake to mee For when thou saydst Seeke yee my face my heart Verse 8 said unto thee Thy face Lord I will seeke and for my heart to say it is more then for my voyce to cry it for no crying of the voyce makes so loude a sound in the eares of God as the saying of the heart that to use the termes properly I might rather say I cry it with my heart and but say it with my voyce But is this all the answer I shall have from God that I should seeke his face Alas O Lord thy great Favourite Moses could never obtaine more then to see thy Back-parts and how then can I hope to see thy face and if I cannot hope to see it why wouldst thou have me spend time to seeke it But is it not all one in the phrase of the Law to seeke Gods face as in the phrase of the Gospell to seeke Gods kingdome and therefore as God saith here seeke yee my face so Christ saith there seeke Gods kingdome at least if they be not both one they are both sought one way both sought by following Gods Commandements for his Commandements if wee follow them well will both bring us to his kingdome and to see his face Or is it not perhaps in a plaine literall sence that to seeke Gods face is in our Prayers and Meditations to settle and fixe the eyes of our mindes wholly upon God and as it were to looke him in the face wherein oh what infinite oddes there is betweene the Angels and us for magnifying of God for they behold his Face and can see it visibly where all that we can doe towards it is onely by the strength of imagination which God knowes is but weake very weake in us weake in it selfe and weaker for want of intention but if we could see his Face as the Angels doe O my soule we should see in it not onely infinite causes for magnifying his Name but infinite sweetnesse for pleasing our owne senses For if the beauty of a carnall face be so admirable so pleasing as that no earthly thing may bee compared to it what extasie of admiration what transcendencie of pleasure must needes be in the beautie of a spirituall Face and specially that face in which the fulnesse of all Beauty resideth bodily And have I not cause then to seeke this Face O mercifull God grant me so to seeke it that I may find it for though this be not the place for finding it yet this is the place for seeking it and hee that seekes it not here he that seekes it not now is never like to find it in another place never like to find it hereafter But why am I so hastie to promise God to seeke his Face as though it were in my owne power to seeke it at my pleasure Alas how can I choose but promise it when God requires it and how can I thinke when hee requires it but that hee will enable me at least not hinder me to performe it and yet I promise not performance but Will and Will I suppose I may safely promise seeing Will is present with me and can never be absent from mee But when I seeke thy face vouchsafe O Verse 9 God not to hide thy face from mee for to what purpose should I seek it if I cannot find it and what hope of finding it if thou be bent to hide it Alas O Lord to bid me seeke it and then goe presently and hide it from me what were this but to mock me as the Jewes mocked Christ blindfold him and strike him and then bid him tell who strooke him and indeed how should I seeke it if I have not light to seeke it by and what light to seeke it by and what light to seeke it by but the light of thy Countenance and what light of thy Countenance if thou hide away thy face To bid me to seeke thy Face and then to hide thy Face from me were a kind of derision and I hope O God thou wilt not use me so unkindly set me about a worke scarce possible to bee done and then take from mee all possible meanes of doing it Alas O Lord all the encouragement I have to seeke it is the hope I have thou wilt not hide it O therefore Hide not thy face from mee O God for if thou hide thy Face from me what can I thinke but that thou art angry and if indeed thou be angry yet use me at least as a servant Put mee not away in thine anger for though I have committed many heynous faults against thee yet may I not repent and amend them all if thou but please not to bee so hastie with mee what though my sinnes have made thee angry wilt thou therefore presently turne me away will no lesse punishment serve to appease thy displeasure but to turne me presently out of service mayst thou not in so doing doe that in anger which thou wilt have cause perhaps to be sorry for afterwards wilt thou not leave thy selfe unprovided of servants to waite upon thee For where are any such servants to be found that some time or other will not give thee cause to bee angry If thou entertaine Starres to serve thee is there not impuritie in the Starres If entertaine Angels to serve thee Didst thou not find folly in the Angels Hast thou not promised to consider man that he is but dust and shall anger make thee to forget that Promise Hath not Mercie the highest seat in thine Arke and shall anger be able to put her from her seate Thou hast beene my helper heretofore and why didst thou helpe me but because I needed thy assistance and may I not with thy assistance now returne from my evill way if thou be
pleased not to be so hastie to turne me away By thy helping me then thou didst expresse thy loving me then and why then should I feare thou wilt now forsake mee for whom thou lovest thou lovest to the end Not to the end and then ends but to the end that shall never end Shall the Heathen have cause have colour of cause to upbraid thee with inconstancie that whom thou helpest at one time thou forsakest at another Or canst thou turne mee away in anger and then helpe mee in mercy when thou hast done Canst thou so soone change from Mercy to Anger and from Anger againe to Mercie that we should never know in what temper to find thee No my soule farre be it from thee to have such thoughts but the truth is Gods wayes are not discerned not discernable by us they are past our finding out We know nothing at any time what it is he doth lesse why and least of all how hee doth it Both the substance and the circumstance of all his actions is to us an Abyssus we know nothing of all his wayes but this that all his wayes are Mercy and Truth nothing of his condition but this that in him there is no change nor shadow of change Verse 10 It is indeed the nature of all living creatures though never so tender of their young ones yet when they are growne to a ripenesse of age and strength to turne them off to shift for themselves and even a Father and a Mother as tender as they are have yet somewhat of this common nature in them for while their children are young they leade them by the hand but when they are growne up they leave them to their owne legges and if they chance to fall let them rise as they can but God even then takes his children up for hee knowes of what they are made hee knowes their strength must as well be supported as their weaknesse be assisted hee knowes they must as well be taken up when they fall as be held up when they stand and therefore though the tendernesse of a Father be great of a Mother perhaps greater yet no comparison to be made with the tendernesse of God And seeing God is never without tendernesse why should I be ever without hope and not hope as well to be delivered from trouble as others to be preserved in safety O my soule much rather for seeing all things in this world are subject to change is not that hope more like to succeed which hopes for a change then that which hopes for a continuance But seeing the way of thy tendernesse is Verse 11 past our finding out O therefore Doe thou O God teach mee thy way and leade mee in a plaine path because of mine enemies Teach mee thy way how it can stand with tendernesse to thy children to suffer them to be afflicted when thou sufferest the wicked to live in prosperitie To make Martyrs of thy servants when the wicked flourish and live at ease How it can stand with thy tendernesse to take away thy servants in the midst of their dayes often-times in the beginning when thou sufferest the wicked of the world to runne out the full races of long lives Why thou leadest the godly in paths of temptations when thou leadest the wicked in paths of securitie But if these wayes of thine be too hard for me to learne or if thy pleasure bee not to reveale them as yet at least O God Leade me in a plaine path because of mine enemies If it were not for mine enemies I would never make this suite unto thee but would leave it to thee to leade me in what paths thou pleasest but having the eyes of so many enemies upon me if thou shouldst leade me now in a rugged path where I might chance to stumble or fall would not my enemies triumph at it as at a victory for they marke ever step I take to watch what advantage they can find against me and if they should find me tripping never so little I were sure to be made the Anvile of their malice to be beaten upon without either pitty or compassion But how great soever their malice be I know they can doe nothing without leave Thou onely O God hast an absolute power over me My enemies none but by thy permission and I hope thou wilt retaine thy power in thine owne hands at least not make my enemies thy deligates To thy will I willingly Verse 12 submit my selfe but Deliver mee not over to the will of my enemies for thy will when most severe is yet with compassion but their will when most gentle is alwayes with cruelty And I speake not this upon a bare suspition but I have evident proofes for what I say For falfe witnesses are risen up against mee and such as breath out crueltie I desired indeed to bee led in a plaine path to the end I might walke upright both before God and men that so I might give my enemies no cause of offence doe nothing whereof I might bee justly accused but alas what good hath my integritie done me for so great is my enemies malice against me that when they cannot charge mee truly they accuse me falsely and because they would not be seene in it themselves they suborne witnesses and because one witnesse would not be sufficient Many and lest their witnesses should be apt to relent they have gotten such as breath out crueltie such as make crueltie their living and trade I may say in no wares but cruell Though I have a thousand witnesses of my innocencie my owne conscience yet these witnesses will not bee heard in the Courts of the world Alas no I know one an innocent indeed who had greater witnesses then these the witnesses of his pious and wonderfull and wonderfull pious workes yet neither would these be taken for witnesses of his innocencie but in the Courts of the world hee was condemned as guiltie O my soule I had utterly fainted under this burden if it had not beene for one thing If I Verse 13 had not beleeved to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living The onely hope of this hath kept me from fainting and how could it choose being a Cordiall made up of three soveraigne Ingredients a hope to see and to see the goodness of God and the goodness of God in the land of the living three such Ingredients that he must be one of a very faint heart whom such a Cordiall will not keepe from fainting But what ingredient of comfort is a hope to see for doe I not see now as well as I am like to doe hereafter were not our first Parents eyes opened in Paradise and can wee hope to see better then they saw there and doe not our eyes stand as open as theirs still O my soule the opening of their eyes then hath made us see the worse ever since wee see now but as in a Glasse rather appearances of things
then things themselves we see nothing now but colours and colours are deceitfull and no trusting to them the light I hope for is to see as I am seene a sight not subject to either dimnesse or dazeling a sight that discerneth not onely colours but substances and is not the hope of such a sight a comfortable Ingredient to keepe from fainting But yet what good is it to see goodnesse for we see many good things which yet wee are never the better for seeing But is it not true here Videte gustate for such our seeing shall be Vidchimus gustavimus our seeing shall be a tasting our tasting an enjoying and enjoying is not properly of any thing but in which there is joy and where there is joy must there not needs be comfort But yet what more goodnesse of God can wee hope to see hereafter then now for can there bee a greater goodnesse of God to bee seene then this that hee makes the Sunne to shine the raine to fall upon both just and unjust Wee see indeed now a great goodnesse of God but wee see it mingled with much badnesse of men and may I not say with some badnesse of his too for is there any evill in the Citie and God hath not done it but the goodnesse of God which I hope to see is a goodnesse like to garbled spice without any mixture at all of refuse stuffe amongst it a goodnesse not mingled with either evill of men or evill to men but pure and Impermixt as God himselfe is The goodnesse of God which we see now is a goodnesse in effects but there is a goodnesse in God which is as the cause Not as having goodnesse but as being goodnesse Not onely as imparting it selfe to us but as communicating it selfe with us and this goodnesse wee shall then see though now we cannot Have Philosophers conceived that if vertue could be seene with the eyes Mirabiles excitaret amores sui It would stirre up in us a wonderfull love and will not the goodnesse of God when seene with our eyes stirre up in our hearts a wonderfull joy and is not the hope of such a joy a strong Cordiall to keepe from fainting But why in the land of the living for is not the world in which wee now live the land of the living Are there not in the water living fishes in the Ayre living Birds On the Earth living Trees living Beasts living Men and what can be thought of more then these to make a Land of the living Alas what Land of the living is this in which there are more dead then living more under ground then are above it where the earth is fuller of graves then houses where life lyes trembling under the hand of Death and where Death hath power to tyrannize over life No my soule there onely is the Land of the living where there are none but the living where there is a Church not Militant but Triumphant a Church indeed but no Church-yard because none dead nor none that can dye where life is not passive nor Death active where Life sits crowned and where Death is swallowed up in victorie And now make up a Compound of these Ingredients Take first a Hope of seeing which is enjoying then the goodnesse of God not a qualitie but a substance then the Land of the living where there is no dying and now say if such a Cordial must not needs be strong of necessitie be effectuall to keepe from fainting O therefore my soule bee sure to provide thee good store of this Cordiall that if at any time thou be oppressed with either multitude or malice if at any time false witnesses bee risen up against thee if enemies at any time come upon thee to eat up thy flesh thou maist have this Cordiall in a readinesse and be able to say Doe the worst you can I feare you not for I beleeve to see the goodnesse of God in the Land of the living This not onely will keepe thee from fainting but wil fill thy spirits with extasie of joy for it is grounded upon a principle of comfort delivered by Saint Paul The afflictions of this life are not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed And what is this glory but to see the goodnesse of God and where to be revealed but in the Land of the living But all this yet is but the hope of a Cordiall at most but a Cordiall of hope but when will the Cordiall it selfe that is hoped for bee had May I not stay so long waiting for it that I may be weary with waiting and faint with wearinesse and then the Cordiall will come too late No my soule Waite on the Verse 14 Lord be of good courage and he shall give thee strength for as none is so worthy to be waited on as God so nothing is so worthy to be waited for as this Cordiall and never feare wearinesse by long waiting for it so long as thou waitest upon God for it for God that gives power to the Cordiall to keepe thee from fainting will give power to thy waiting to keepe it from wearinesse Onely bee sure to have a good heart and God will not faile to supply it with spirits Doe thou but onely bring wood to the Sacrifice and God will send fire from Heaven to kindle it But how happens it that David should give so good counsell to others and yet follow it so ill himselfe for hee confesseth of himselfe in another place that hee is dejected and bowed downe and can it stand with courage to be dejected But is it not that to be dejected is a Passive infirmitie to be couragious an Active vertue and there is no contradiction to bee Passively weake and Actively strong both at once Or is it not indeed rather that when he confesseth himsele to be dejected hee lookes upon his sinne and sinne will deject any that hath but eyes and is able to see it but when he counsells to be couragious hee lookes upon God and God is ready to give strength to any that hath but a heart and is able to take it As therefore I said before so I say againe Waite on the Lord which can never be too much taught because never enough be learned never be too much said because never be enough done THE THIRTIETH PSALME OF DAVID 1I Will extoll thee O Lord for thou hast lifted me up and hast not made my foes to rejoyce over me 2 O Lord my God I cryed unto thee and thou hast healed mee 3 O Lord thou hast brought up my soule from the grave thou hast kept mee alive that I should not goe downe to the pit 4 Sing unto the Lord all yee Saints of his and give thankes at the remembrance of his holinesse 5 For his anger endureth but a moment weeping may endure for a night but joy commeth in the morning 6 And in my prosperity I said I shall never be moved 7 Lord by thy favour thou hast
made my mountaine to stand strong Thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled 8 I cryed unto thee O Lord and unto the Lord I made supplication 9 What profit is there in my bloud when I goe downe into the pit shall the dust praise thee shall it declare thy truth 10 Heare O Lord have mercy upon mee Lord be thou my helper 11 Thou hast turned for mee my mourning into dauncing Thou hast put off my sack-cloath and girded mee with gladnesse 12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee and not be silent O Lord my God I will give thankes unto thee for ever MEDITATIONS VPON THE XXX PSALME OF DAVID IT seemes to be a course in Nature Verse 1 for Hosanna's alwayes to precede Allelujahs and therefore the Exordiums of Davids Psalmes are commonly thus Have mercy upon mee O God heare my prayer O Lord rebuke mee not in thine anger or some such forme of Hosanna but in this Psalme contrary to his custome he makes his Exordium of an Allelujah I will extoll thee O God And why is this done is it out of Devotion that he might get before hand and begin with God in Praises before God should begin with him in Benefits O my soule the showres of Gods blessings are so continually poured downe upon us that it is impossible we should ever get before hand with God in Allelujahs Although therefore he begin with an Allelujah yet it is because God hath prevented him in his Hosanna Hee will extoll God but it is because God hath lifted him up Gods praise indeed is put in the Present Tense but it is because his benefit is in the Preterperfect Tense I will extoll thee O God for thou hast lifted mee up and hast not made my foes to rejoyce over me But if David will extoll God how will he doe it for to doe it unworthily it were better to be left undone and who is able to extoll God worthily Hee will therefore perhaps call all the creatures of God to assist him and say Praise the Lord all yee his Angels Praise him all his Hosts praise yee him Sun and Moone praise him all yee starres of light Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. But if it be expected he must extoll him himselfe and not looke for helpe from others Hee will then extoll him in his exaltation and say Bee thou exalted O God above the heavens Or he will extoll him in his owne humilitie by kneeling and falling downe before him hee will extoll him in his singularitie and say There is no other God in heaven or in earth but onely thou O God or he will extoll him in his pluralitie and say Thou O God art wonderfull in thy Being Three Persons and one God blessed for ever And if to extoll him with sayings will not serve he will then extoll him with workes that men seeing his good workes may glorifie our Father which is in heaven And if neither words nor workes will be sufficient hoe will then extoll him with his silence and his wonder leaving that for Thought which cannot be exprest and leaving that for astonishment which cannot be conceived But why is it that David will thus extoll God Is it that hee may returne a thankfulnesse answerable to the benefit returne it in the same kind and answer it as it were in its owne language He will therefore extoll God which is a kind of lifting God up because God hath lifted him up which is a kind of extolling of him For as our extolling of God is the highest worke of our thankfulnesse so Gods lifting us up is the greatest benefit of his goodnesse We are thankfull to God and ought to be for his other benefits even for casting us downe but we use not to extoll him but for lifting us up For naturally indeed wee are all of us desirous to bee lifted up to be set aloft and to be high in the world for this pleaseth the eyes that they may see the more and pleaseth the whole body that it may the more bee seene but this is not the lifting up that David meanes but to be lifted up out of danger and out of the reach of the arme of his enemies O my soule let this bee thy comfort that although thy enemies be many and great yet they are not more thy enemies then they are Gods slaves and can goe no further then the length of their chaine which is seldome so long to reach to triumphing Sathan was a bitter enemie to Job and had certainly defeated him utterly if God had not held him short in his chaine and though linke after linke hee eetched out his chaine to a great length yet he could never make it reach so farre as to a Triumph For it is not properly a Triumph but when Dux Duci arma detrahit When one Generall disarmes another and this could never be done to Job for he kept on his Armour still his Helmet of Faith and his Brest-plate of Righteousnesse hee never let it goe off from him that there could be no cause for Sathan to triumph Men commonly are not satisfied unlesse themselves can triumph over their enemies but it is enough for me O Lord that thou suffer not my enemies to triumph over me for I aime not at glory but at safetie I might then ayme at glory if I were the assailant but now that I am onely the assailed what can I more desire then safetie and to bee out of the reach of all my enemies and such safetie without any glory may well give contentment seeing of all the miseries that can befall a man in this wretched world there is none greater none so great as to fall into the hands of enemies whose Malice like the fire of Hell is commonly unquenchable Let a friend strike me and it shall be a Balme to my head but to be strucken by an enemie who can endure it The striking of a friend is out of love and intends amendment but the blowes of an enemie are out of malice and tend to ruine It troubles mee not that my enemies rejoyce so their rejoycing have no relation to mee It troubled not Samson so much to have his eyes put out as to bee brought out before his enemies to be the laughing-stock for them to rejoyce at But why will David speake thus Thou hast not made my enemies to rejoyce over me as though it were God that made our enemies to rejoyce over us and not their owne spitefulnesse and malice Is it that permission is in God a kind of action and therefore he may justly be said to doe that which he suffers to be done Or is it that in his anger he makes our enemies the Executioners of his justice and punisheth our neglect of rejoycing in him with giving them power to rejoyce over us and so their rejoycing is not more in us his judgement then it is in them his act and operation But what enemies do
breath so quickly againe and leave mee but dust as thou foundest me at first Though the service I can doe thee be not great yet it is more then dust can doe Hath dust a tongue or a voyce or any instruments of life for the declaring of thy truth and why then wilt thou make a divorce of parts which thou hast joyned together of purpose for that purpose If I desired life for any end of my owne thou hadst just cause then to make an end of my life but now that I desire it to doe thee service why wilt thou diminish the number of thy servants and not leave enow for the service thou hast to doe Can any number be sufficient to praise thee Can there ever be mouthes enow to declare thy Truth and may not I make one a sinfull one I know but yet one in the number if thou but please to spare mee for descending into the Pit But what Pit I meane not the Pit where the Apostate Angels are I know they descended not but fell and I know the Pit they fell into is a Pit of blasphemie the Pit I feare descending into is but a Pit of silence and yet in one thing is worse then theirs for they in their Pit retaine their substance still but I in this shall lose my very Being at least the quantitas continua of my body shall bee turned into the quantitas Discreta of dust and the frame compacted of all the Elements dissolved I shall remaine nothing but as it were a few crummes of Earth and what can Earth doe when it is not assisted with fire and water O therefore Verse 10 Heare O Lord and have mercy upon me Lord bee thou my helper for if thou lend mee not thine eare how can I hope thou wilt shew mee mercy and if thou have not mercy upon me how can I hope thou wilt bee my helper Heare me O God while I am in a place where I may be heard for if once I be descended into the Pit I shall quite then be out of all hearing Have mercy upon me while I am capable of mercy for if once I be turned into dust what mercy can I looke for Be thou my helper O God now that I am in a state to bee helped for if my bloud in which my life consists bee once shed what good then will thy helpe doe me I place Gods mercy in the midst here because it must serve to both the other both to make God to heare me and to make him to helpe me and Gods mercy can doe both it can make him to heare me though I were silent and can make him to helpe me though I were dust But though Gods mercy can doe it am I sure it will doe it O my soule his mercy hath done it already for it is the worke of his mercy that Hee hath turned my mourning into dauncing that hee hath put off my sackcloth and girded mee with gladnesse O wonderfull conversion the very same myracle I may say that Christ wrought at the Mariage in Cana for to turne Mourning into Dauncing what is it but to turne water into Wine To have turned my mourning but into comfort had beene a great worke and a great favour but to turne my mourning into dauncing the extremitie of sorrow into extremitie of joy who could doe this but thou onely O God with whom as no Myracles are wonders so no extremities are limits Mourning is not properly but for one that is dead and indeed so neere being dead was I that I might well be said to mourne for my owne death not unlike the Swan if it be true that shee sings her owne Elegie and now to have my mourning turned into dauncing the drooping act for Death be turned into the most lively act of Life what is it but the Myracle as it were of Resurrection and Ascention both at once at least from the lowest stayre of miserie to be raised to the highest of happinesse and not Gradatim by degrees and steps but per saltum by a motion more swift than the Fiery Chariot that carried up Elias into Heaven and so the change not more wonderfull then the suddennesse Mourning turned into Dauncing a wonderfull change and done as it were in the turning of a hand as wonderfull a suddennesse And now to make me fit for Dauncing Thou hast put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladnesse for indeed if I had kept on my sackcloth still I should have made but a heavie Dauncer but now that my sackcloth is off and I am girded with gladnesse I shall leape as light as Abraham did to see thy day I put on sackcloth when I was a Mourner but now that I am to be a Dauncer I am girded with gladness and if I mourned before to think of Gods anger may I not justly daunce now to thinke of his favour If I put on sackcloth before as sorrowing for my sinne may I not justly now be girded with gladnesse as rejoycing in my Saviour For though it be Gods mercy that hath done this for me yet it is his mercy in Christ my Saviour without whom his mercy alone would never have done it He would never have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladnesse but for his sake and through his meanes that was anoynted with the Oyle of gladnesse above his fellowes My sackcloth was but a loose garment about mee which might easily be put off at pleasure but my gladnesse is girt about me to bee fast and sure and cannot leave me though it would at least none shall be able to take it from me And now though this be spoken here in the case of David yet it may bee conceived as in Type for all the godly if they mourne and lye in sackcloth now yet they shall ere long be girded with Gladnesse and daunce for joy but what Dauncing Not like that of Herodias Daughter for which Herod allowed her to aske halfe his Kingdome but like that of David before the Arke for which God without asking will give us a whole Kingdome And when shall the time bee Alas it cannot be long For they shall not goe out of Egypt into Canaan as the old Israelites did by the tedious passages of a troublesome Wildernesse but their Mourning shall be turned into Dauncing a conversion as sudden as when Moses his Leprous hand was turned to be sound againe by putting it onely in his bosome But to what end is it that God hath done Verse 12 this for me It may be thought because hee hath turned my Mourning into Dauncing and hath girded me with Gladnesse that hee hath done it to this end that I might live in jollity and spend my time with Belshazzar in revelling and feasting but there is no such matter hee hath done it to this end that my glory may sing praise unto him and not bee silent to this end that not onely I may praise him but may sing his praises
Verse 7 Moses his Acts to the children of Israel For when Moses went up to the Mount Sinai and tarried there with God the space of fourtie dayes we may well thinke that God in that time revealed many secrets to him and particularly made knowne his wayes not onely his wayes in which he would have us to walke but his wayes in which hee walkes himselfe and the course he holds in the Oeconomie and government of worldly affaires why hee suffers the wicked to prosper and why the godly to be oppressed These wayes of his hee made knowne to Moses to the children of Israel onely his Acts Hee shewed them his Wonders upon Pharaoh and that was his Judgement and he shewed them his wonderfull favours to themselves in the Wildernesse and that was his righteousnesse but hee shewed them not his way and the course he held in them They saw onely the Events of things they saw not the reasons of them as Moses did no more doe we nor is it fit we should It is enough for us enough for our comfort that we know this of God in generall That hee is mercifull and gracious Verse 8 slow to anger and full of compassion Not that any slownesse is in God but his slownesse is his Patience and his Patience is out of compassion for alas if God were as ready to anger as we are ready to provoke him to anger we had long ere this been turned to dust and utterly consumed O my soule here are foure properties spoken of to be in God and are all so necessary that we could not misse one of them If hee were not mercifull we could hope for no pardon and if he were no more but mercifull we could hope for no more but pardon but when besides his being mercifull he is also gracious this gives us a further hope a hope of a Donative and then it will not be what we are worthy to receive but what it is fit for him to give If he were not slow to anger we could expect no patience and if he were but onely slow to anger we could expect no more but patience but when besides his slownesse to anger hee is also full of compassion This makes us expect he will be the good Samaritane and not onely bind up our wounds but take care also for our further curing What though he chide and be angry for a time It is but our being patient awhile with him as he a long time hath beene Verse 9 patient with us For he will not bee alwayes chiding neither will hee keepe his anger for ever No my soule consider the rule of Nature that Nullum violentum est diuturnum and you will find it true in the God of Nature Mercy and Compassion are kindly and naturall in God and therefore these will continue and never leave him but chiding and anger are things I may say violent and not naturall in him and therefore it cannot bee that these should last or continue long with him Certainly it is as unpleasing to God to chide as it is to us to be chidden and so little hee likes of Anger that he riddes his hands of it as fast as he can he is not so slow in comming to it but he is as quick in getting from it for chiding is a barre to Mercy and Anger an impediment to Compassion and nothing is so distastfull to God as that any block should lye in the way of his Mercy or that the libertie of his Compassion should have any cause of restraint and then we may be sure hee will not himselfe lay a block in the way with chiding nor be a cause to restraine his Compassion by keeping his Anger And we may the better be perswaded of this in that which is to come by taking notice of that which is past For Hee hath not dealt Verse 10 with us after our sinnes neither rewarded us according to our iniquities Though he have chidden yet hee hath not strucken or if hee have strucken yet his blowes have not beene great not so great to doe us any hurt for there is mercy in his very Anger and though we keep our selves within no bounds of sinning yet he keepes his Anger within the bounds of Mercy Alas O Lord if thou shouldst deale with me after my sinnes as I have used no measure in my sinning so thou shouldst use no measure in my punishing and what then could I expect to befall me but utterly to perish But why is it that God hath not dealt with us after our sinnes Is it not because hee hath dealt with another after our sinnes Another who tooke our sinnes upon him of whom it is said that God chastened him in his fierce wrath and why did he chasten him but for our sinnes O gracious God Thou art too just to take revenge twice for the same faults and therefore having turned thy fierce wrath upon him Thou wilt not turne it upon us too but having rewarded him according to our iniquities thou wilt now reward us according to his Merits O Deere Jesus let not thy painfull sufferings bee made frustrate by my sinfull doings but so mediate betweene God and my sinnes that hee may turne away his angry Countenance from me and looke upon me onely with the eye of his Mercy And O my soule how canst thou doubt of this when As high as the Verse 11 Heaven is above the Earth so great is his mercy towards them that feare him and who would wish for a greater mercy to bee in God then this But yet the distance betweene Earth and Heaven though great and indeed very admirable great is but a limited distance and is there then a limitation and a boundary of Gods mercy May I not as truly say as low as Hell is beneath the Earth so great is my sinne in the sight of God and how then am I sure that Gods mercy is any greater then my sins and if not greater how can it pardon them O my soule though the heighth of Heaven be limited yet Gods mercy hath no limitation for his Mercy is above all his Workes and therefore above Heaven the worke of his hands Or if hee seeme to set a limitation to Gods mercy is it not perhaps because there is some sinne that is not capable of his Mercy for sinne against the Holy Ghost shall never be forgiven either in this world or in the world to come But O my soule though Gods mercy bee without limitation yet let it not make thee the bolder to sinne for though it be so great yet it is so great to none but to them that feare him for to them that feare him not it is not so great Alas it is not great at all Alas it will be none at all but if thou feare him and to feare him is to feare to sinne then thy sinne can never be so great but that Gods mercy which is as high as Heaven will bring thee to bee admitted into the